Penchant Entertainment Acquires Film/TV Rights to Exorcism Bestseller Hostage to the Devil
Around these parts, the name Father Malachi Martin is pretty well known. Martin, a former Jesuit priest, professor, and theologian-turned-author of 15 novels and nonfiction books, was an acknowledged expert on and frequent critic of the Catholic Church. After moving to New York in 1965, he began to focus extensively on demonic possession and assisted in nearly a dozen exorcisms before beginning his work on the novel Hostage to the Devil: The Possession and Exorcism of Five Contemporary Americans.
Penchant Entertainment has just picked up all film and TV rights to the critically-acclaimed New York Times and Amazon bestselling book with plans for film and series adaptations, each focusing on different elements from the source material. The multiple projects based on the book will be produced by Erin Eggers, Chase Hudson, and Matthew Porter for Penchant.
We can’t wait to see what they come up with! If you’re feeling the same way, here are more details.
From the Press Release:
Originally published in 1976, Hostage to the Devil: The Possession and Exorcism of Five Contemporary Americans has sold well over a million copies worldwide; and now, in eBook format, this chilling nonfiction account of possession and exorcism in modern America has been embraced by a whole new generation of readers, even inspiring a 2016 feature-length documentary.
In Hostage to the Devil, Martin presents a chilling and thoroughly-researched analysis of demonic possession and the Rite of Exorcism, offering rich new details on the practice and its participants, never explored on screen. Presenting exorcism as an epic battle between priest and demon, Martin reveals how this profoundly personal battle can span a lifetime, exacting an enormous toll on the priest, who sacrifices a piece of his humanity each time he confronts these demonic forces.
Although frequently referred to as the inspiration for William Blatty’s famed novel The Exorcist, Malachi Martin was a harsh critic of the book and the resulting film, believing both to be grossly inaccurate and potentially dangerous. Professional feuds aside, Martin feared the eroding effects of reducing demonic possession into simple entertainment and wrote Hostage to the Devil “as a clear warning that Possession is not–nor was it ever–some tale of dark fancy featuring ogres and happy endings. Possession is real; and real prices are paid.”
“Since its publication, Hostage to the Devil has been the canonical book on possession and exorcism; and we are thrilled to finally be able to bring it to life,” said Penchant’s co-founders. “With such vibrant, character-rich material at our disposal, our goal is to shatter genre expectations and reset the bar for elevated supernatural fare.”
Feature film and television executives and producers Eggers, Hudson, and Porter launched Penchant earlier this year to create sophisticated, commercial entertainment for audiences worldwide.
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